Cloth handling apparatus



April 11, 1950 c, GRAHAM 2,503,817

CLOTH HANDLING APPARATUS Filed May 19, 1944 v 2 5 I I I I I I r y I I II I I I I I ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 11, 1950 CLOTH HANDLING APPARATUSClarence T. Graham, North Attleboro, Mass., as-

signor to Defiance Manufacturing Company, Barrowsville, Mass, acorporation of Massachusetts Application May 19, 1944, Serial No.536,343

The present invention relates to an improvement in cloth handlingapparatus such, for example, as pilers of the type having a portion Icommonly known as the J box.

In cloth finishing and analogous operations carried out in a continuousprocess, it is desirable that all parts of the mass, as of cloth rawstock, be moved into and through the various treating steps withoutinterruption so as to secure uniformity of result throughout the pieceor pieces thus treated. Among various devices designed to aid in thisrespect is the J box piler, usually a chute having a vertically arrangedrecelving end and an upwardly curved discharge end. One difficultyexperienced in the use of J boxes of this type has been that, instarting, as the web or rope of cloth feeds into the receiving end, thematerial is tumbled and tangled into a loose uncontrolled mass until thepiler fills solid and the flow or movement of the material therethroughbecomes normal, i. e. until the amount removed from the discharge end ofthe filled up piler is substantially at the same rate as the amount fedin at the receiving end.

One object of the present invention has been to provide a device forcontrolling the movement and placing of cloth in a piler or the likewherein the starting operation may be so controlled that the material isinitially received in the piler with no tangling or undue tumblingabout. A further object has been to provide a J box whereby the cloth orother material is accumulated and compacted in an ordered mass so thatwhen the leading end of the rope of cloth reaches the discharge end ofthe piler, the material may be drawn off promptly and effectively withno snarls or tangles to interrupt the operation.

One embodiment of my invention is described in the followingspecification and illustrated in the drawings appended thereto and inwhich- Figure 1 is a view in central longitudinal vertical section, witha part shown in side elevation;

Figure 2, a top plan view; and

Figure 3, a transverse vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, a piler according to my invention and asapplied to a J box has a receiving end portion in the form of an uprightchute l and a discharge end portion in the form of an upright chute 2. Acurved passageway or chute portion 3 connects the upright chutes l and2. The bottom wall of curved chute 3 is made up of a series of rollers 4journaled in the opposed side walls 5.

A portion of the top wall of curved chute 3 is 2 Claims. (01. (as-L178")cut away to provide an opening l2 into or through which a gate .6 may beswung in operating the device.

Said gate 6 is secured to a shaft 1 and is mounted at one edge ofopening I2 to swing to and from a position across the inside openingof alower end portion of inlet chute I, or between said chute l and curvedchute 3. To control operation of said gate 6, a pinion 8 on shaft 1engages and is rotated by a screw 9 operated by handle In.

In use, the gate 6 or other equivalent baflle or barrier member isinitially brought to the operative chute closing or cloth receivingposition, as shown in full lines, Figure 1 for example. The cloth orother materia to be piled is fed into chute I often in the form of arope, in a manner to deposit the leading end on gate 6 and to pilesucceeding increments up in regular manner thereon. When a suitable massof material so placed or distributed has accumulated in chute I, or whenthe latter is full, gate 6 is swung downwardly, or toward opening H tofree the compacted mass of material for movement into curved chute 3.Under some circumstances it will be desirable to swing gate 6 quick y tofull open position (dotted Fig. 1). Under other conditions the movementmay be slower, or the gate may be swung to an intermediate position. Inthe latter case, it may operate as a brake to control the rate ofmovement of the accumulated mass of material into the curved chute 3 andthence into the discharge chute 2.

In any case, the piled material accumulated as above described on thegate or barrier 6 is moved into and through the piler with no tanglingor distortion, and therefore with no delay or interruption due to suchconditions.

It is contemplated that a cloth movement controling device according tomy invention may be effectively used in a wide variety of cloth handlingoperations such as occur in the textile and allied trades and invo'svethe use of piling machines, bins, chutes, kiers, bleaching machines andsimilar devices.

I claim:

1. In a cloth handling apparatus comprising an upright cloth receivingchute and an upright cloth discharge chute, the combination of a curvedchute having top, sides and bottom walls and arranged and adapted toconnect said upright chutes and to provide a passageway for the movementof cloth from said receiving chute to said discharge chute, said curvedchute having an opening in said top wall, a gate swingably mounted atthe upper edge of said opening and having travel of the cloth throughsaid curved chute.

2. In a cloth handling apparatus comprising an upright cloth receivingchute and an upright cloth discharge chute, the combination of a curvedchute having top, sides and bottom walls and arranged and adapted to-connect said upright chutes and to provide a passagewayfor the movementof cloth from said receiving c'huteto said discharge chute, saidcurvedchute having an opening in said top wall, a gate swingably mounted at--'theupper edge of said opening and having a tendency to swing acrosssaid curved chuteunderthe action of gravity and being substantiallycoextensive in area with the area of the opening, and-manuallycontrolled means arranged and adapted to move said gate in one directiontoward operative position between said receiving chute and said curvedchute and in the opposite direction to such position that it will closesaid opening in said wall of said curved chute and will be located outof thepath of travel of the cjloththrough said gcurved chute, :saidmanually controlled means including a pinion on said gate and aninterengaging screw on said receiving chute constructed and arranged tomaintain saidgateinposition to close said opening against the action ofgravity and to maintain said gate in jposition across said curved chute.

ICLARENCE T. GRAHAM.

REFERENCES CITED -The followingreferences are of record in the fileofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 940 9 12 Rouse v Nov. 23,19091,033,925 Palmer July 30,1912 1,943,342 Mortimer Jan. 1-6, 1984"2,165,487 Johnson July ll, 1939

